Kawhi Leonard is unexpectedly being mentioned in numerous NBA trade rumors heading into the deadline. The San Antonio Spurs and their superstar are reportedly at odds, generating speculations the two parties will part ways sooner than later.
And if the Spurs are really trading their superstar forward, the Boston Celtics were tagged among the potential landing spots. And according to Hardwood Houdini, trading for Leonard makes perfect sense for the Celtics.
Why trading for Leonard makes sense for Boston
The Celtics are currently on top of the Eastern Conference standings with their 35-15 record.
They are ahead of the second-running Toronto Raptors and the struggling Cleveland Cavaliers, who have 33-15 and 29-19 cards, respectively.
But while the Celtics are on top of the East, most analysts believe that they are still a superstar away from dethroning the Cavaliers in the conference. They have promising young players at this point, but acquiring a proven superstar is needed if they want to win now.
Leonard, considered the best two-way player in the league, will fit what Celtics president of basketball operations Danny Ainge is looking for. The Spurs forward will also be a good fit to Celtics coach Brad Steven’s system.
The Celtics are one of the top defensive teams in the league this season, and adding Leonard will just make them a harder puzzle to solve for opposing teams.
They will also get a player who can guard LeBron James and Kevin Durant straight up as proven in previous matchups.
Can the Celtics acquire Leonard?
However, it should be noted that trading for Leonard is easier said than done. First, the Spurs head coach Gregg Popovich has already denied Leonard wants out of San Antonio.
“Nobody wants to come back more than Kawhi Leonard,” Popovich told News 4 San Antonio.
“For somebody to come up with something about him and his teammates, it’s just silly.”
But if the Spurs will really part ways with the two-time All-Star, the next problem for Boston will be constructing a trade package. Fortunately, the Celtics have players who could get the attention of the Spurs.
Harwood Houdini pointed out that it might take three players to convince the Spurs to trade Leonard.
To make it attractive to San Antonio, the package should include either Jayson Tatum or Jaylen Brown along with either Marcus Morris or Marcus Smart. The Celtics might also need to add a player like Aron Baynes to make the salary match.
Leonard has only played nine games this season due to a right quad injury. In nine games, he posted 16.2 points and 4.7 rebounds, which is far from his averages of 25.5 points and 5.8 boards in 74 games last season.
